Try this Homemade Enchilada Sauce recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 11.6285578089014 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.712197188826132 g
- Fiber 1.36189690744283 g
- Protein 0.52584000097007 g
- Saturated Fat 0.119213531483656 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (14g)
- Sodium 185.178562579916 mg
- Sugar 10.2666609014586 g
- Trans Fat 0.117217312719571 g
- Calories 50 calories
Step-by-step
- Place the diced tomatoes in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth then set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Gradually add the flour and chili powder while whisking until the mixture is smooth and no lumps are present.
- Continue to whisk while you pour in the blended tomatoes and chicken broth. Add the remaining spices and once the mixture begins to bubble slightly turn the heat to low and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the flavors have blended.
- Use sauce in a recipe, or store in an air tight container in the fridge for later use. Enjoy!
When does a simmering sauce actually reach the right consistency? Cooking the mixture of broth, tomatoes, and flour over low heat drives off excess moisture through evaporation, concentrating the suspended solids until the liquid coats the back of a spoon. Whisking occasionally prevents scorching at the bottom of the pan while thermal energy gelatinizes the wheat starches.
Building the foundational roux requires careful attention to the fat-to-flour ratio, which operates on a standard equal-parts weight or volume metric to coat every starch granule evenly before liquid enters the pot. Pouring oil into the saucepan and whisking in the flour and chili powder simultaneously prevents the formation of stubborn lumps that resist later incorporation. Cooking this paste briefly in the hot oil toasts the spices and eliminates the raw taste of ungelatinized flour.
Pureeing the fire-roasted tomatoes thoroughly in a blender prior to cooking ensures a completely smooth emulsion rather than a pulpy broth. Blending breaks down the cellular walls of the tomatoes, releasing natural pectins that assist the flour in binding the sauce into a cohesive liquid.
Storing this preparation requires sealing the cooled liquid in an airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator or transferring it to a freezer-safe bag for longer preservation. Reheating frozen portions gently on the stove with a splash of water restores the original viscosity if the starch matrix separates slightly during thawing.
